Falling Apart
by juls898
Summary: When Chief Collig delivers devastating news, the Hardy's see if they can keep what's left of their family from falling apart, or if the loss is too big. Rated T for possible violence and swearing in later chapters


Hello! I'm trying out a new story line, and hopefully will complete it. I'll try to update once a week during the summer, but once school starts again I can't promise timely updates... And please excuse the chapters' shortness, I haven't been able to write quality and quantity yet :P

So here it goes and try to review! They make the world spin round (:

Disclaimer: I don't own them...

**-LINE-**

Laura smiled as she surveyed the cozy scene before her. Joe stretched across the couch, flipping through a sports catalogue and dog-earing almost half the pages as he found yet another item to add to his Christmas wish list. Frank was sprawled out in front of the fireplace, playing with the small kitten they were watching over the break. He winced as it scratched him, but didn't object when it snuggled against his arm and blinked sleepily.

Laura herself was placed in the love seat across from the door, and had been reading The Help for her book club. She gazed across the room, and her gaze landed on the empty love seat on the opposite side. She sighed, wondering again where Fenton was. "He said he'd be home around 8:00," she thought, "Well it is only 9:00, he's probably just cleaning up or talking with the guys like usual."

She wished that he would hurry up and get home; it had been so long since all of them had been home together without the stress of school and work. The boys were done with their first semester, she had taken time off from her volunteering at the hospital, and Fenton was going over a crime scene with a forensics team and the local men. Then he would be on hiatus for several months, to catch up on his home life as he put it. When Laura had hinted, not subtly at all, that she would prefer it if she and the boys were the majority of his life, he hadn't brushed it off like he had in past years.

He had nodded slowly, finally seeming to realize that his sons were growing up and would soon leave, and his beautiful wife, however patiently she had coped with often being second on his list of priorities, would stand that treatment no longer. So he had conceded that this would be his last case, before devoting his time to his family.

Laura still could barely believe that he had agreed to take much time off work. He was a devoted man in everything that he did, and the fact that he was willing to that, even for her, had touched her. Now she just had to wait for him this one last time.

**-LINE-**

The crackling fire, low lights, and unusual stillness had lulled them into a comfortable silence. Laura had almost drifted off, when sharp knocks cut through the house. She and Joe started from their seats, Frank jumped to his feet while protectively cradled the kitten.

"What time is it?" Laura asked.

"It's, um, almost eleven." Frank said as he squinted at the clock.

"Dude, where's Dad?" Joe questioned as he walked toward the door.

"Hon, make you check who it is first, it never hurts." Laura intoned. Years of being a detective's wife had made her wary, and she knew that visitors this late usually weren't social callers.

Her younger son just nodded as he peered behind the curtain into the frigid night. Frank hovered behind her shoulder and glancing at his face, Laura caught sight of the fiercely protective expression that so often appeared when there was the slightest possibility of danger to Joe or her.

"Well? Who is it?" Frank's voice cut through the tense silence.

"It's just Ezra," Joe said as he reached to open the door, "Hey Chief, what's happening this late?"

The older man just stood on the doorstep, head tall and proud, but his grey eyes spoke of a different story. "Joe… is your mother there?" He craned his neck around Joe's muscular frame, searching for Laura.

"Yes Ezra, I'm right here." Laura gently pulled Joe back from the doorway, and gestured for him and Frank to go sit back down. "How about you come in, it's freezing out."

He shuffled his feet awkwardly, and glanced back at his police car before nodding and gruffly agreed to come in.

"Let me take your co-"

"No Laura," Chief Ezra Collig interrupted, "As you've probably guessed, this isn't a social call. Please, sit down."

For the first time Laura really saw the roiling emotion through the chief's stormy eyes. Fear and pain, or was it grief, shone through the usually stoic mask. She told herself to stop guessing at the situation, she was bad at reading emotions, just stay calm as she lowered herself onto the couch next to Joe. She saw his worried glance and smiled to herself as he laid his head on her shoulder. He had always been a cuddler and understood the power of simple human touch.

"You too Frank, sit."

Laura looked up in surprise at her older son. Frank was hunched over the love seat, the seat closest to the door. Fenton's chair. He looked up, his face blank of any emotion, but it had a darker, harder quality to it. He slowly walked over to the couch and sat down next to Joe, one arm still holding the sleeping kitten.

The all looked expectantly at Ezra, waiting for him to say his part. He cleared his voice nervously, taking in the small family before him.

"I'm sorry," He finally choked, "I'm so, so sorry."

A tear ran down the weathered police chief's face as he took out the wedding band he had been fiddling with the entire time, and placed it in Laura's palm.

"Fenton's dead."


End file.
